Thank you all for coming and spending your time with us today and taking time from your schedules.
Deanna and Stephen, I read a briefing note from February 12 from your industry. It talks about livestock carriers “committed to the safe and secure transport of animals entrusted with their care”, and I have no doubt about that. “Drivers are responsible for the set up of trailer compartments, preparation of bedding, cleaning duties to address biosecurity [issues],” including numerous factors of weather, animal weight, species, safety of animals in transit, etc. The list goes on. It's a complicated thing.
You later talk in another document and tell us, “There currently exists no legislated standard of training for livestock haulers in Canada.” You spoke yourself, Deanna, of the shrinking pool of these drivers. You talk about reputable voluntary programs existing, but there being a lack of transparency and accessible mechanisms to verify driver training and nothing done nationally.
With respect to animal welfare, we know that it is first and foremost in the minds of farmers. They want to protect the quality of their stock, no question. It's in their best interest to do that. We also know that it's a question of the proper treatment of animals, and it's a question of food safety as well.
I wonder whether it's time to develop a national training standard that would be required to be met for what appears to me, from what I read, a rather complicated job requiring some very sophisticated skills. So that people—like myself, consumers, animal rights groups, everyone across Canada—could, at least at that level, be satisfied that something is being done to deal with the situation.
Can you talk to us about that?